New Year's, New Beginnings
by samanddianefan10
Summary: It's New Years and Blair, Todd and Starr are ready to put the past behind them. The new year promises to be a very good one after all.


Todd and Blair and Starr were sitting around the fireplace, the adults drinking a glass of champagne to celebrate the New Year. Sam was upstairs asleep after having a glass of grape juice, and Hope was asleep in her room. The adults knew they had so much to celebrate. Jack had chosen to spend the night at Tea's, and although hurt, Blair understood. He'd had the roughest year out of all of them. His father wasn't his father, and his real dad was alive. Then the man who had raised him had been killed. Not to mention the Gigi ordeal. Jack wasn't going to be tried for murder, although he was still in a heap of trouble. He would get out of it- he was a Manning. There was no doubt in Todd's mind, once Gigi came back, that the other charges would somehow disappear too, for nothing could hold down a Manning, not for very long. There was Todd's own past, but that was a long time ago, and he did not want to think about that today. Tonight was a night of celebrations and fresh starts and new beginnings, and Todd certainly had his. Whatever had happened before 2012 did not matter, at least not to Blair and Starr, and certainly not to Hope.

It was funny, for someone so young she did not seem scared of her grandfather. For all of Jack's calling him "Scarface" whenever he had the chance, until Todd put a stop to it, Hope must not have picked up on it, because she and Todd were beginning to share the same bond that he and Starr once had when she was younger. Their bond was still there all right; she had shown it when she had believed it was him when he had returned. For all of his faults, Todd did have a way with kids, his not giving away baby Jack standing. They brought out the best in him, and that was what the night was about. Forgetting about the dark, the past that had brought them there, and just being thankful for one of the biggest miracles that had happened to their family- that he was alive and had survived such torturous condition.

It made him shudder when he started to think about what he'd been through. Irene…Victor.. .the hired men…the place. It gave him nightmares, though he told no one. Todd was a strong man, and would not let anyone down again, especially his family, not if he could help it. Of course he had his secrets, but he would not let those get in the way of what he wanted. It was bad enough Jack still hated him, although he was starting to come around- it would have been nice to have the whole family together. But Jack was safe and coping in the best way he could- he understood that. He knew better than anyone what it was like to have your family try to force you to be someone you weren't, so even though he got mad sometimes, and he did everything he did because he loved Jack, and they butted heads most of the time, Todd figured it was better to give him a little breathing room than to force him to be someone he wasn't ready to be. In the long run, Jack would come around. He sure hoped so anyways. It wasn't the kid's fault all of this had happened. The reason all of this happened was no longer around…

"What are you thinking Dad?" Starr asked as she sat her glass down. "You look like you're a million miles away."

"Oh you know me. I'm just thinking about Santa and his missing reindeer."

"Todd."

"What, she stopped believing in Santa a long time ago…"

"No, what's wrong. You've been so quiet tonight," Blair softened her voice. "Is everything okay?" she gently touched his face, hoping to coax what it was out of him that he was obviously bottling up.

"I'm good."

"You sure?" she kissed his face quickly. Starr smiled, taking this as a very good sign. Her parents hadn't officially gotten back together but all signs were heading in that direction- and nothing could have made her happier. It was every child's secret longing for their child's parents to get back together for her to believe that Victor was her dad in the first place, and for that she would always feel guilty. She loved Victor and would always miss him, but there was only one father to her, and he was sitting right here in front of her.

"Na, you guys. I'm all right. I'm just thinking about how happy I am for the first time in a long time," he admitted.

"It's been a rough year," Blair agreed.

"Try nine years. None of them have been much fun. The only highlights have been coming back to you guys and finding out about little Hope… Starr I'm still not finishing talking with you yet."

Starr laughed. "That's okay Dad. I'm not ready for another one. I won't be for a very long time."

"I want you to do things right. Don't make a mess out of things like your mother and I did. You and Jack were about the only things we did right, and who knows how that managed to happen?"

"I don't know about all that," Blair smiled. "Remember the time in the stables? I thought that was a pretty special time, " she kissed him.

"Ew…kids in the room, remember?" Starr made a face.

"What, I was just teaching your father how to , uh, ride a horse," Blair thought quickly.

"Yeah. Turns out I was a fast learner."

"If you guys are going to be like this than I'm going to bed. Good night, Mom. Good night Dad. I love you both." She kissed them both on the cheeks and then went upstairs to bed. Todd and Blair smiled then looked at each other.

"We did have some good times, didn't we?" Blair asked.

"I don't know, you were always too mad at me to tell me if they were good or not," he responded.

"That's not true. I can think of some very good times."

"Like when?"

"The stables. Our wedding. Most of them anyways. When Starr was born. And do you want to know the happiest moment of my life?"

"Do I want to know?"

"Look at me, Todd," she gently moved his face to so that he was now making eye contact with her. "It was the moment in the theater when you walked in the room. I had never wanted anything more than I did for that moment. And all of my prayers came true. I know that we've ticked a few people upstairs off over the years but somehow someone listened…you were alive. And I knew it was you. I didn't need any proof. I had it all when I looked at you. And then when you kissed me, " she smiled.

"Like that, did you?" he grinned.

"Now Todd, the kids…"

"I do believe Starr said she went to bed. And Jack isn't here…"

"There's your granddaughter."

"Do you have to keep reminding me that I'm a grandfather? Do I look like one? I still wear designer jeans for heaven's sake," he frowned, pulling away from her.

"Yes, but that makes me a grandmother. And you don't think of me as old do you?"

"I think you're a sexy granny," he smiled as he turned around and leaned over her as she fell against the couch.

"Not too many people could get away with calling me that, you know."

"Yes, but it's me we're talking about."

"That's true. And heaven help me the day I ever turn away from you," Blair laughed.

"I think we don't exactly have a lot of pull with heaven, Blair."

She sank further down into the couch, wrapping her legs around his. "Kiss me you old fool."

She didn't have to tell him twice. He gladly obeyed, and as they kissed all thoughts of everything else went to the back of their minds- the kids, the past, Victor. Blair may have still had her suspicions about Todd, but right now she had her man back, and that was all she needed. It was definitely going to be a great new year.

The end


End file.
